Refrigerator



Nov. 18, 1930 H. E. LARSEN REFRIGERATOR Filed Juhe so, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1 02 new H. E. LARSEN 1,781,758

REFRIGERATOR Filed June 30, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 firm 142145 30 partment.

Patented Nov. 18, 1930,

UNITED. STATES Application filed J'une Bl),

This invention relates to refrigerating apparatus. Y

In refrigerating apparatus generally the refrigeration chamber is equipped with an evaporator of some suitable type adapted by absorption'of heat therein to produce the refrigerating operation. Heretofore some of these evaporators or'coolin units. have been arranged with coils for coo ing the refrigerating chamber and suitable arrangements for freezing ice cubes. In some instances the ice cubes are formed in separate compartments not heat insulated to any great extent from the refrigerating compartment so that any chan e in temperature in the refrigerating cham er affects the ice cubes.

In view of the foregoing, the present invention therefore relates to a cooling unit or evaporator separated into two parts, one 'ef-, fectiveupon the refrigerating chamber of the ice box and the other effective within a separate heat insulated compartment within the main refrigerating, chamber. This sepa- PAraNTYo l-ica assrenoa 'ro minimum) a. annmns'rausor EDMUND n. .anmmn, 13.0mm a. warm, am)

mnionnaror. P J

1927. Serial No. $058,558

coils being where one boil is arranged in the main refrigerating'c'hamber and another arranged in another or inner heat insulated compartment'or refrigerating chamber sepa- Y rate and apart from the main chamber. In th s instance both coils are preferably con-' nected in parallel with this .storage tank so I that they operate independently.

Any suitableabsor tion cycle roducing agparatus may be emp oyed, but I End a suita le one to be an arrangement including a boiler absorber having its gas space cennected throu h a rectifier and through a rap to n the top 0 a condenser, thence from the bottom .of the condenser through arelatively high N loop and through a trap to the top of a reqceiverr From v circuit tlien'leads to the storage tank of the evaporator where any liquid ammonia gas may gravitate to the cooling elements or coils. 1 Th1s storage tank hasits top also connected by a return .expanded gas line to a cooling arranged n circulatory communication loo rate inner refrigerator, so to speak, maybe:- 'Witlitheb'ottomofthe boiler. Atrapis placed utilized for freezing ice cubes or for producing a low temperature possibly lower at all times and in any eventconti'nued-lower fora considerable period of time after a rise in temperature in themain refrigeratin com This inner refrigerator is a so not materially aflected by the opening of the main refrigerator door. I

While this type of co fling unit or evaporator may be nsed in c.onj unction with any refrigeratingsystem, it finds great utility when in this'line to prevent flow from the boiler to the evaporatorduring heating. All of the other traps referred to, except the one in the gas return to the loop, prevent flow toward the boiler but permit free flow toward the evaporator from the boiler.

I Other featnres of the invention will be brought out 1n the. specific embodiment set forth in the following description, drawings andclaimsaw In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a front elevation of an icebox' .with a portion ofthe front and doors brokenaway to expose the inner parts f Fig. 2 is a vertical section from front to back;Fi 3 is a detail Vertical-section of the refrigerating chamber 3 provided with a cene bottom of the receiver the tral door strip 4 and doors 5. The r'efri erating'chamber is insulated in any. suitab manner in accordance with effective icebox construction practice. Within the refrigerating chamber is the evaporator, comprising a storage tank 6 preferably arranged in a casing 7 of larger size for containing a suitable insulating medium 8. This storage tank is adapted to receive the charge of liquefied ammonia when delivered to it from the refrigerating plant. One arrangement'willbe pro-' vided with a suitable liquid refrigerantinlet pipe 9, a'refrigerant return pipe 10 and a liquid refrigerant discharge pipe ll at the bottom, communicating with a main refrigerating chamber cooling coil or grid 12 and with an inner refrigerator coil 13. Both of these coils are connected in parallel to the pipe 11 lea din tothe bottom of the storage tank 6. Anot er pipe 11' leads. from the bottom of the tank 6 to the bottom of the coils 12. and .13 and it is heat insulated to prevent boilin therein and to insure a pro er su ply 0 liquid refrigerant to these 001 's. T e co1l13.is arranged within an inner refrigerator casing 14 shown as being of narrow form and including suitable inner and outer casings 15 and 16 providing a space for insulation 17. All walls are formed insubstantially one unit and are heat insulated. A suitable-door '18 of like construction is hinged at- 19 to this inner refrigerator casing and is adapted to complete this separate or inner refrigerator within the outer refri erator.

chamber 3. The hinges .19 are pre erably of any well-known spring hinge type so that the door ,18 is held tightly closed. u

Both of these coils 12 and 13 are connected with the absorption plant, as will be later shown. To return any boiler liquor which may happen to flow over during the operation ofthe ap aratus a pipe 20 is rovided. From t e foregoing it will e seen that the liquid refrigerant will 'avitate from the tank '6 into both of the 0011s 12 and 13 where i it will absorb the heat and pass off asgas through the pipe 10. Most absorption systems are provlded with some suitab e control, in some instances automatic,-and irrespective of the t-y e used the operation of the evapo rator wil be readily understood from the following. If the tank and both evaporator coils 12 and 13 should be completely -ex-- hausted by a refrigerating operation or c cle, then the supply of liquid refrigerant cm the absorption'apparatus on the next heat will result in the gravitation 'of only a small quantity of warm li' uid refri rant into the coils'just enough to ll the cm and the volume of this warmliquid is'so small that it will produce little rise of temperature in either the inner orthe outer refrigerating chambers. Indeed, it would be insuflicient to even cause any noticeablemelting of ice cubes when located at this'particular time in the inner refrigerating chamber. The condi- I tion just mentioned is obviously the most try-' ing one. If the heating period is started when the coils 12 and'13 are partly or en- [tirely filled with refrigerant, then less or none of the hot refrigerant is delivered to the one hand and loss of cooling effect on the 1 other are avoided.

A suitable circuit for use with an evapoi rator of this type is illustrated in Fig. 4. It comprises the boiler absorber 21 provided with a cooling loop including the vertical hot leg 22, the lower bend 23, the more vertical portion 24 of the cold leg and the more horizontal leg 25 which extends up and is in communication with the bottom of the boiler. It is obvious that the boiler liquor passes down intothisloop and fills it. Connected. to the gas space orto the top of boiler is a gas outlet tube 26 providedwith a water cooling jacket 27 and a water inlet 28, and a water discharge 29. This gas pipe 26' is provided with a trap 30 between it and a condenser 31. Thistrap may be a mercury seal or any useable device for preventing flow from the condenser to the boller but ermitting free flow from the boiler to t e condenser.- The pipe 26 passes into the top of the condenser and the bottom of the condenser is connected to a relativelylong vertical pipe 32. The condenser and the vertical portion 24 and the more horizontal portion 25 of the loop are all immersed in water in a suitable-container 33. The pipe 32 is provided in'the top bend 33 and with a, down leg 34 leading to a trap 35 similar in all respects to the trap 30.. The discharge from this trap is to a receiver 36 arranged-in the water tan 33. The discharge fromthe condenser into I the receiver is at the top thereof and the discharge from the receiver is through a pipe 38 which leads up to and is connected with the pipe 9 leading to the storage tank 6. The pipe 10 fr'om the tank 6 leads downward through a line 39 to a trap 40 similar to the traps 30 and heating period the bottom of the pipe 20 is connected to another trap 43 of any preferred 1e column type which will sustain a suita of refrigerant in'the evaporator to pass back .35 and the outlet from this trap leads through a pipe 41 to a point 42 at the base of to the boiler-through apipe 44 connected into the line 39. I v

Assuming that the absorption apparatus includes a suitable automatic control, not showny'but' of any type, and assuming that the boiler is filled with aqua-ammonia and that the heating cycle is just startin for the first timethe ammonia gas passes 0. through the recti er through the trap 30 to the condenser 31. Here the gas is condensed until the condensing capacity of the condenser is so reduced, with respect to the gas producing capacity of the boiler, that the boiler pressure forces the liquid ammonia over into the receiver 36 through the trap 35. The condenser again proceeds to condense gas coming over from the boiler and this operation is repeated until substantially all of the gas content of the liquor in the boiler is in liquid gas form in the receiver. The end of the heating cycle has then-been reached and the control must be operated either by hand or automatically to turn off the heat and permit the cooling cycle to function. At the end of the heating period the condenser is nature.

HARRY E. LABSEN.

the only part of the apparatus which is func- I tioning as before, so it continues to condense whatever gas 1s contained in 1t and whatever gas may flow over from the boiler. This operation b the condenser of drawing gas from the oiler results in the boiler becoming an area of low pressure, as between it and the, evaporator, so that a relief of pressure from theevaporator to the boiler causes the gas in the receiver to expand and force its charge up intothe storage tank of the receiver where it 12 and 13 if they empty. In time, by the continuance of condensation in the condenser and the natural contraction of the boiler, due to cooling, is caused to flow from the as evaporator through the pipe 39, trap 40, pipe 41 to the bottom of the more vertical portion of the cold leg of the loop 22, when the gas will tend to produce a circulation of boiler liquor in the loop and hence the cooling I thereof. This operation increases in intensity Iih and continues throughout the entire cooling cycle. It is obvious from the foregoing that when the anhydrous ammonia is delivered asses down into the coils to the evaporator tank 6 from the receiver, i

even though it may be warm, it will not greatly a ect the temperature of the main refrigerating chamber or' the inner refrigorator, because only small quantities flow into these parts even when they have been previously completely exhausted.

Having described my invention I claim:

1. The combination of a refrigerator having heat insulated outer and inner refrigerating compartments and refrigerating apparatus therefor comprising a heat-insulated refrigerant storage tank within said outer compartment and evaporator elements in parallel gravitating communication with said storage tank and located in said outer and inner refrigerating compartments.

I 2. A refrigerator as in 013.1111 1 and a conduit leading from the bottom of said storage 

